Food + Beverage

Summer Sips with Torani

Meet Jordan River City Lifestyle’s Dirty Soda: Jordan’s Stone Cold Quencher Article and Photography by Heather L. King If there’s one place in America where dirty sodas are a cultural phenomenon, it’s Utah. Long before this creation became a national trend, Utahns were mixing flavored syrups, fruit juices, carbonated drinks, and cream into creative and customized beverages. Today, the state is widely regarded as the epicenter of the dirty soda movement—and Torani’s 153 flavored syrups have...

Health + Wellness

Storytime with Dogs

How Reading Education Assistance Dogs® Help Children Find Their Voice One Book at a Time Article by Heather L. King | Photography by Jen Fox Photography Inside a neighborhood library, an unlikely reading partner is helping children discover the joy of books. Sitting cross-legged with a story open in their lap, a child hesitates over a difficult word, carefully sounding it out. They glance around the room, worried someone might laugh or correct them. Then they look down. Curled quietly beside...

Shopping

Comfort Wrapped In Love

Family-created bedtime Huggabuddies products help children feel safe, loved, and connected. Article by Kellene Ricks Adams | Photography by Courtesy of Huggabuddies The inspiration for Huggabuddies began with a quilt and a newly blended family. After marrying Megan Erickson and creating a blended family, Steve Nelson was touched when her mother, Elaine, almost immediately made quilts for his four children. The blankets weren’t store bought. They were cozy and handmade. He discovered that...

Life + Culture

No More Garbage Bags

The Christmas Box International’s Mission to Help Foster Children Article by Abi Falin Horspool | Photography by Jen Fox Photography Every six months, Celeste Edmunds packed her entire life into a garbage bag. Growing up in the foster care system meant instability, starting over frequently, and not knowing how long she would stay. And at one point, it meant losing a brother and sister because there wasn’t someone who could take care of all three of the siblings together. Now the executive...

Education

Winning Despite Obstacles

Differences Don’t Define Us Writes Author Johnathan Aubrey Article by Heather L. King When Utah author and motivational speaker Johnathan Aubrey walks onto a stage, audiences quickly discover that his message is about possibility. “Differences don’t have to impose limitations,” he says. “Differences may impose obstacles, but they can be seen as opportunities for growth.” That optimism resonates with readers of Am I Different? , a children’s book he published in 2024, that encourages...

Professional Services

Creating Smiles, Changing Lives

Utah Smiles helps children born with facial differences find confidence, belonging, and hope. Article by Kellene Ricks Adams | Photography by Courtesy of Utah Smiles For Dr. Devan Griner, the path to medicine—specifically pediatric surgery—became clear while he was still in high school. The son of a television news photographer, Griner grew up thinking he might follow his father’s footsteps behind the camera. But everything changed after he watched an award-winning documentary his father had...

Food + Beverage

Culinary Creations

French Pastries Find a Utah Home at Éclair French Café Article by Kellene Ricks Adams | Photography by Angela Lang Photography Tucked into the growing Daybreak community in South Jordan, Éclair French Café brings a taste of European pastry culture to Utah. Opened earlier this year by pastry chef Joseph Youssef, the café is the newest addition to a family of pastry shops that began with Éclair French Pastry in Sandy in 2020 and expanded to City Creek in 2024. A formally trained pastry chef...

Arts + Culture

Beyond Happy Endings

Utah author Jennifer Youngblood believes the best stories offer hope and connection. Article by Kellene Ricks Adams Many people dream about writing a novel someday, but Jennifer Youngblood has actually written more than 90 of them. The Alabama-born, Utah-based author has built a remarkable career in independent publishing, turning a lifelong passion into a full-scale creative enterprise, one character at a time. It started with a family legend. Youngblood's debut novel was inspired by her...

Life + Culture

Summer of Celebration!

Discover the Spirit of America across the Jordan River Corridor Article by Heather L. King From wide-open Western landscapes to deeply rooted hometown traditions, July in Utah is a celebration of freedom in all its forms. This year, that spirit carries even greater meaning as the nation marks its 250th anniversary, a milestone that invites both reflection and revelry. America250 Fourth of July Independence Day celebrations bring fireworks and flag-lined streets to South Jordan, West Jordan...

Home Services

Rethinking the Landscape

Inside The Plant Institute’s Approach to Water in the West Article by Heather L. King In Utah, conversations about water often begin with scarcity. Reservoir levels, snowpack totals, and conservation mandates. But at The Plant Institute, the brainchild of horticulturist Ben Behunin, a different question is taking root: what if the issue isn’t just how much water we use, but how our landscapes are designed to use it? Behunin is exploring a shift in how we think about water conservation—one...